Merseyside Police have raided 10 homes in West Derby this morning to search for guns and a wanted man.

Operation MASTIA, ran jointly by Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency, began at 7am when a convoy of police vehicles arrived at Crawford Close before they entered three houses on the close and several other nearby homes.

So far, two firearms and a quantity of cannabis have been found but no arrests have been made.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

Women and children chose to shelter in neighbouring properties while the raids unfolded. They come after a number of shooting incidents in the area.

Police said the man they were looking for has been on the wanted list for 18 months. They added he is believed to own a gun, and has been known to evade police in the past by fleeing through back gardens and alleys.

Inspector Susan Stribling said: "This sends a message to criminals to let them know we are doing everything we can to disrupt them, and also to the community to let them know we are doing everything we can and do act on information."